Bad Guys Always Lose
by DWalkthroughGuy
Summary: Herobrine meets a strange girl while on a night out in the Overworld. After thinking about it, and consulting his pet Netherdog, Aether, he ponders: has he really grown a soft spot for a human? Although earning a girl's trust while being an almighty fear being won't be the easiest task, Herobrine has to prove that not all bad guys lose!
1. Chapter 1: Human Encounter

I sit in the hidey-hole in an unexplored ravine deep below the surface. Although my recent scare-sprees have been incredibly successful, tonight was going to be my definite jackpot. A group of cryptozoologists are out hunting for me. "Can't believe these idiots haven't figured out I'm real yet..." I mumble, hearing the clank of swords, iron boots, compasses and clocks in the distance. A search group had to be close.

I prepared himself as the oncoming traffic was sounding larger than I had previously expected. "Preposterous..." I growl. I teleport onto a ledge higher up on the underground ravine. Staring down menacingly with my white glowing eyes, I wait for one of them to look up at me. The people were wearing pumpkins on their heads, thinking that it wouldn't provoke me or would even hide them from my sight.

Humans. How clever they thought they were. They think they're so sly. They thought I was derived from skeletons, like the one time they all brought doors and hid behind them like shields. Or the one time they thought I was an undead mob, so they threw splash potions of healing around their homes and roads like idiots. I remember that day, watching from up in the clouds all of the humans partaking in their stupid party they called a "ritual". Now, they think I'm from the End, by the way their heads seem to be.

No, how wrong you all are. I was never a human, nor a mob. I doubt I will ever be human. From your stance, I look like a sneaky wolf, a wolf that hides from you and avoids you. A wolf that you are out only to kill and hold up smugly like a prize. No, I am more than game to you. I am beyond your imaginations.

But enough of that awkward monologuing.

The front person at the group was holding up a torch, and iron swords were in hand. Although they were iron armored, I could easily slay all of them with a spell, but I'll give 'em a little spook for tonight. I teleport back down in front of the pack leader and summon a lightning bolt, flashing down on the whole team. I slap on a blindness effect to throw them in a loop.

"I SAW HIM! I SAW HIM! GUYS...HE'S...HE'S REAL!" the pack leader says, swinging his iron sword wildly in front of himself, missing me by miles. They all groan and bend over in agitation. I didn't put in a pain effect, but I guess they're just traumatized with the blindness.

After a few seconds, I get a little bored from the awkward suffering, so I teleport them near their home town, but with a long invisibility effect. That should be good for tonight. I head over to my secret exit to the ravine, but as I hop over a block of iron ore, I see that someone stayed behind. "Who..." I whisper. The person takes off her pumpkin and blinks, her eyes still a little sensitive from the blindness.

I hate to admit it, but this human...wasn't that bad looking...

She swings her dirty blonde hair back, arming her iron sword. "Guys?" She calls gingerly into the darkness, her voice ominously echoing throughout the ravine. The girl unsheathes her iron sword, which was obviously insignificant against me.

I also hate to admit it, but, I kinda felt bad for the chick.

So, instead of leaving her like this, I walk up to her very, VERY cautiously. "Hello? Hell...o?" I say in my gentlest voice, as not to frighten her. "Please, I'm not here to harm you."

This did the exact opposite of what I wanted. She whips her head around frantically, trying to find the source of my voice. "Over here. In front of you." One glance at me and she immediately stood still, frozen in shock. "Look, look. I'm not going to hurt you. Please. I just want to help-"

"Get away from me!" She says, backing away slowly. "Please, please go away! I don't want to hurt you! PLEASE!" I look at her pitifully and stand where I am.

"I won't harm you, I promise!" I wheedle, using any human act of pleading that I remember watching. I remember one Valentine's Day a few years ago on a server I don't visit anymore, I ruined a guy's day by giving him a head of a provoked wolf. All he'd do that day was beg and supplicate to his freakee out girlfriend like a wild dog that hadn't eaten in a week.

"Please, just...just go away! Leave me alone!" she turns around and runs off to the exit. I sigh. I wish I could be normal too.

* * *

I sit on my nether brick chair in my small cabin in the Nether. Hey, just because I'm nearly omnipotent doesn't mean I can't have a humble home. As I put some magma cream and bone cookies in the netherrack furnace, I couldn't help but wonder about the girl I encountered yesterday.

And no...not just...because she was cute...but also because of how my spell was off. She should've been where the others were: temporarily blind, invisible, but safely back to their home town. Did she wield a magical power? The only person that has that ability is probably me.

And my talking dog. Aether. For a netherdog, his name is not appropriate.

"So, how was your visit to the Overworld last Earth night?" he asks. Even though clocks don't operate here, it's a wonder how his biological earth clock is still considerably accurate.

"Ugh...fine..."

"Did it work out as planned?"

"Yeah, yeah it did."

"You had fun?"

"Yep."

"Then what's the matter?" I walk back to the furnace and take out my Nether cookies. "And can I have one?"

"Sure..." I exhale, sitting down on a nether brick sofa in the living room. I settle down, watching the fireplace.

"Seriously bud, what happened back there?"

"I met a girl." He nearly gags out his Nether cookie. "My cookies aren't that bad!" I wasn't so sure if my own tone sounded serious or informal.

"No, the girl. Human?" I nod slowly. "What about her?"

"My spell didn't work on her. I gave blindness, and that turned out, but my teleport malfunctioned for some reason." Aether raises an eyebrow.

"She ain't no witch is she?"

"Nope. Definitely human. What is a witch doing with humans?" I reply. Aether shrugs. He finishes the cookie and looks out the window of iron bars. The landscape wasn't bad for my location. Some lava falls flow in the distance, it was a pretty good view of a Nether fortress, and the cliffsides weren't overwhelming. At least the ghast traffic wasn't as bad as my last home.

"Anything goes in that strange world."

* * *

 **Thanks for making it down here! If you like this so far please stick around! I had this idea while eating dinner and I said "Screw it. It's story time."**

 **Also, I apologize for not updating my other stories, other followers! I'm in a big mental traffic jam, and this is just to hopefully clear it out so I can write a legit story. I'm just a little caught up with summer work and a little busy with a thing involving my health, but hopefully I'll be 100% soon.**

 **ALSO, cover art is by Ask-Lord-Herobrine on DeviantArt. Not me. T_T**

 **Thanks anyways!**

 **-DWalkthroughGuy**


	2. Chapter 2: False Impression

"Maybe I have to ask her," I tell Aether, who was in the middle of his sixth cookie. "Is she a witch?"

"Dude, that's pretty rude. A witch is hostile to humans," he replies. I always wonder how Aether seems to know so much about humans. Considering that he was a Netherdog all his life and was always one, it's a bit suprising how he managed to absorb so much info about the Overworld simply from visiting it. At least his black fur is functional there for retaining heat.

"What you gotta do is butter her up. I know one thing girls like, and its definitely being treated like a queen. Give her like, a nether star or something," Aether suggests. I glow as red as netherrack.

"I don't like her!"

"Well why didn't you say so?" Well, gee, I thought you would've figured it out by now. For a dog who knows so much about human behavior, he just doesn't seem to be able to grasp relationship concepts. I sigh in defeat. "In that case, you can try disguising as someone."

I think about it. That doesn't sound so bad; all I have to do is stay away from milk, which shouldn't be too hard. I pick a disguise as a normal human male about the age of that girl, if not older. I had a blue jacket with a black shirt underneath. Much like other boys, I also donned gray headphones, which sat upon my jet black hair. Although my eyes and jacket were blue, my pants were grayish, and the shoes just had a lighter color of that.

"Not bad," Aether comments. I guess there's no use putting it off. I head for my nether portal. "Hey, I left half a cookie for you when you come back," he calls from across the room.

"Thanks," I deadpan. The portal sweeps me away as purple fills my vision.

* * *

I arrive at the Overworld. Surely is a different weather here today. Up on the mountaintops, where my portal landed, it was snowing heavily, and the wind was not of any help. I demolish the entire portal as not to leave a trace of my presence. Now, where did I teleport them last night?

Flying into raindrops was not a fun task, and having a wall of glass in front of you to block it out wasn't easy to lift either. So, I decided to compromise and put up one window pane in front of me. It didn't cover the rest of my body, but at least I have the confidence of opening my eyes.

After cruising for what felt like an eternity, I catch a glimpse of the town below, and I begin to descend towards the nearby forest. No one was outside, which was smart, but my disguises are always based on someone or something preexisting. If someone is in her house that takes my disguise, I might be done with.

I search for the girl on my ICC, Internal Command Console, and I came up with answers. I go invisible and float to the house. It was a lot like the others around her: walls composed of one color of stained clay, bushes of jungle leaves near the front door, roofs of spruce slabs. They weren't that big either, but I'm sure it could fit up to four people, if they make room.

How do I approach her? Do I just straight up knock on the wooden door? What if humans don't like other humans barging in on their homes? I wish Aether was here, but yet again he'd just ruin it, knowing him. After switching out of invisibility, I press against the wall, hearing approaching footsteps. The front door opens, and out comes...

...well, the guy I based my disguise on!

"Where're you headed?" The girl asks from inside. I tap into his mind while he turns his head to reply.

"The florist." I make him say in an un-human tone. I'm still pretty bad at forcing speech, but I guess it was convincing enough. Even the guy walked off to the direction of the florist. Was he convinced of his own words?

I don't know what flowers this girl likes, but I give myself an allium. These look pretty to humans, right? I switch off my invis and immediately knock on the door.

But he probably lived here. I'll just open it.

I push the wooden door open, and my eyes meet hers. "Hey! Back so soon? The florist is so far away!" She remarks, but I stand there in shock. It feels so weird being so close to her...it's like...it's like I'm almost dreaming...

Standing there doesn't help. I have to do something. Closing the door, I hold the flower out for her. "For you," I almost mumble. I have one job. Just one. Do that and get out. That's all. No small talk, no tea time.

I notice that the (only) room was larger than I speculated. On the opposite wall of the door, a large array of window panes serve as the only window and primary light source in the day. The wall to the left looked like a kitchen (which composed of four furnaces, two stacked chests and a crafting table). The wall to the right looked like the living...space. A wooden sofa, a coffee table and a lamp sat near. Two beds sat in a corner, along with two bookshelves and an anvil. The rest of the walls were evenly spaced with relics, paintings and shelves with flower pots.

"Aww, thanks," she hugs me, despite me being absolutely soaked in water. "I know my brother wouldn't do that for me, run out to the rain for flowers." I smile. Was this convincing? Did humans do this when they were hearing something pleasing? Or did they say something? I forgot everything Aether told me already. "I mean, that is pretty suspicious..." she puts the flower close to her face, her eyes darting at me.

Her smile grows as she finds no response. She playfully shoves me. "Come on, why did you do it?" Say something!

"Uh, well, surprise?" I say sarcastically, eliciting a cute giggle.

"Hey! I baked a cake. I almost forgot to tell you!" She walks over to the furnace (which was across the room) and takes out the beautifully well put together cake.

One job, Herobrine.

"Hey, uh, lemme ask you something," I begin. My voice may be on point, but my personality probably doesn't match it. "What if you were...a magical witch for a day?" This was not subtle bait.

"Why do you ask that?" She asks back. I shrug. What else am I supposed to do? "Well, I would cast a spell on you so you can find Herobrine so you would stop nagging about it so much!" She taps my nose when she says 'you', which sent chills down my spine. She swings her curly blonde tips and sets the cake down on a piston table with two wooden stair chairs o opposite sides. "But I'm not, and you're going on another hunt, aren't you?"

Uh oh. How do I answer this? I buy myself time by stuffing a cake slice in my mouth.

Her jaw drops and her eyes suddenly widen when I swallow. Is this not how messy guys eat cake? I look at my hand, which was not disguised.

Human cakes have milk in them, don't they?

* * *

 **I know cakes don't need to be baked in Minecraft, and I know milk in cake doesn't actually cancel status effects. It's there for plot and realisticity reasons, if that's a word.**

 **Also, Herobrine never existed. I just like him for this story and for his lore.**

 **Thanks anyways!**

 **-DWalkthroughGuy**


	3. Chapter 3: New Mail

I definitely screwed up.

She stares back with incredulous horror. Herobrine didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to do or say something to stand his ground? He was nearly certain that's what humans did. "Uh, hello...hehe..." A force begins to well up from deep inside her, the expression in her face showing it.

She lets out a piercing scream, one that would get the attention of Aether all the way past the dimensional portals. Sure, it was loud, but it wasn't bad. She did arm herself with a shovel, so that was new.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" she demands. This time, it wasn't a rhetorical question. She was LEGITIMATELY asking me a question.

"Uh, I...I..." I stutter. What do I say? Do I introduce myself or do I calm her down? I waited this whole time to travel and meet her, but now that I'm actually here, I'm absolutely confused as to what to do. I clear my throat to buy me some time. Someone barges into the house, hurrying after they had heard the scream, I'm sure. It was the guy that left, the one that left for the florist.

"Tess?! What's wrong?! What-" his eyes meet mine, but not in the way before. Unlike the shocked expression I thought he would harbor, he, instead, grinned benevolently. "You're...real..." Why, yes. I'm right in front of you and am physically in your presence. I am, indeed real.

"What, you're not gonna get RID of him?!" Tess shrieks. He drops a cluster of azure bluets on the table, slowly approaching me, iron sword in hand. I'm not liking where this is going.

"We're not going to hurt him. You'll be fine, okay?" he says to me slowly. I furrow my eyebrows. Who did they think I was? A LITERAL wolf to hunt for?

"I'm NOT an animal! Don't talk to me like I am one!" I thunder, shaking the clay house. He takes a step back, but he stood firm, his stance low. "Look, all I wanted to...I just...wanted to meet her, was all..." I tell him. I mean, technically, this wasn't lying, so that validates me, right?

He looks at me with a smile I was uncertain of as if he just caught a meaty cow in the wild. I squint. This guy was not to be trusted. He better not be getting in the way of Tess...

"I HAVE to report this!" he says, but Tess shrieks and runs out the door. "Come on, Herobrine! Follow me over to the Hall of-" I reach over and slam him in the face with my fist, and he blasts back through the wooden door, shredding the wooden door to pieces. He lands on the gravel road outside, Tess looking back at me in even more horror than before.

'Oh please...please don't be scared...' I plead mentally. Of course she is. There's no way she couldn't be. I sigh in defeat as she backs away when I step towards her. "Please, Tess. All I want to do is..."

But she wasn't responding. I teleport back to the Nether. What was I supposed to do now?

* * *

Aether was making another landscape painting of the view from the window. I sigh. I wish I could live easy like that.

"Hey! Back so soon?" Aether says, not looking up from his painting. He strokes his brush of stick and wool down the wool of the painting, adding another lavafall foundation. For a third repeat, this version wasn't reprehensible so far.

I sigh again, this time more exasperatingly. "Well, I accidentally consumed milk."

"How do you 'accidentally' drink something you're not supposed to?" Aether asks, full attention to me.

"I didn't know human cake had milk in them!" Now was Aether's turn to sigh.

"Look, you still have a long time for her to warm up to you. Come on, first impressions don't mean everything," he assures. Well, that WASN'T my first impression. The night at the ravine was, and that didn't turn out so well for me.

"But, what if her boyfriend kills me?" I deadpan, thinking of baking another batch of magma cookies for me to blur my sorrows for the night.

"Aww, there's no need to be coy. You can take 'em."

"Yeah, but that's the problem. I'm TOO powerful. I don't need to kill them, but they'll bother me as long as they're there!" I explain. Aether doesn't shift in his seat, using his mouth to guide the brush.

Dropping that, he replies, "Okay, true, but you need something to make you less ominous and fear-striking."

"I'm not doing another disguise again..." I growl, getting out magma cream, a bowl and stick, blaze powder and soulsand for the cookies. I mix them up in the bowl, slowly adding crushed nether warts while mixing.

"You don't have to! How about you wear a head? That isn't a status effect; that can't be erased by milk." I think about it and spawn a Steve head. Donning it, I found it suitable. For a simple addition, it wasn't half-bad. Maybe I did have a tangible chance with this Tess all along.

* * *

The noteblock timer dings as I take out the freshly baked cookies and place them in a bowl. Aether instantly walks towards me conspicuously. "So, uh-"

"Oh no you don't! These are mine!" Aether's ears droop and looks up at me at a weird angle. "You're head tilt is not going to guilt trip me again!" He looks up with puppy eyes, something he managed to retain all these years. Even maturation couldn't rid of this.

I grumble, tossing the bowl full of fresh cookies to the floor in front of him. "Whatever, take it..."

The mail noteblock outside rings. I stop and so does Aether. I rarely get mail.

I open the door and look outside. It's hard to believe a mailman can actually make it up this far on the mountain. The cove I was in was on the above tall and steep cliffsides, as well as being surrounded by a lake of lava and a fragile bridge of nether brick that could easily break from an overloaded donkey, if one happened to be in the Nether for some reason.

Opening the chest, I find one lone signed book by the Eastern Quartz District Department of Defense. "What could this be about?" I mumble, heading inside and shutting the door.

"Who's it from?" Aether says questioningly. I glance at the bowl; almost all of the cookies were already gone.

"Department of Defense," I reply, trying to read the letter at the same time.

Up top of the second page was the Eastern Quartz District seal. The letter said,

 _In regards to Herobrine,_

 _We, the Eastern Quartz District Department of Defense, would like to inform you of the recent human encounters of the Northern Coast. As generous neighbors, we are invited, along with the Western Lava District, to fight for the liberation of human territory. The Northern Coast, part of the Northern Rural Region, has been inhabited by unauthorized human invaders, who plan to dominate the "entirety of the Netherworld below us". They have their share of Nether land, also known as the BNT, or Nether Territories. They demand expansions of their territory, but after constant refusals, most due to resource preservation, environmental and preexisting control issues, they decide to take land by force._

 _We kindly invite you ourselves to the Eastern Quartz District Department of Defense in the next 72 Overworld Hours. Enclosed in this book are directions from Central Lava Square. Please do note that it is your obligation, as a Nether Citizen of Higher Power, to contribute to the aims and goals of our part of the war. If you do not wish to participate in this, please inform our Record Library Services, but it can be held to prosecution if not properly obliging to the terms of discontinuation._

 _Please consider helping the Nether stay independent for many years to come._

 _Signed,  
William Z. Epsilon, Chief Primary of Eastern Quartz District Department of Defense_

Aether and I exchange awkward but curious glances.

"I guess the head will have to wait," I say, heading to my small wardrobe for something formal to wear.

* * *

 **YAY! Now the subplot can finally come in and make a significant difference in the story!  
**

 **Huzzah for plot advancement!**

 **Thanks anyways!  
-DWalkthroughGuy**


	4. Chapter 4: Eternal Overlord

Aether looks up surprisingly at my fancy tuxedo. I don't think he's seen me dress up for anything in a few years. But this was a formal occasion. It was rare for me to get involved with the government in any way, but it is an obligation. One of the unlucky things about being a Nether Citizen of Higher Power.

All I wore was black. My dress pants were black, my shoes were shined black, and my suit was black, the only exception of that being the white rose sitting on the coat pocket. I decided not to bring a hat, although in common circumstances, I would. War is different from a fancy night out, I guess.

All I had to do was arrive at the Eastern Quartz Department of Defense, discuss my functions in the war and plan a date of effect.

* * *

I arrive at the building at around noon in Overworld Time. I've fought in many wars, but I've never been to the Department of Defense of this region for a long time. It was busier than I remember, with more employees and more people waiting to be appointed to their jobs at the upcoming war.

The first room was also much more formal than I expected. Two armor stands of golden armor sat at the front of the glass doors. Potted bushes were planted parallel to each other every six blocks. They even went to adding giant paintings to accomodate the empty verticality.

After meeting up with the secretary and appointed to the Square Office, I was beginning to feel nervous. I never knew I was going near the grandeur of the chief office of defense.

"Hello, Mister...Herobrine. As you may already know I am William Epsilon, the Chief Primary of Defense, and here is Lucifer himself, visiting from the Government District. He has come to visit and invite each Nether Citizen of Higher Power," William introduces us, and I absentmindedly shake both hands, taking a seat. I'm meeting the Eternal Overlord himself!

"So, Herobrine," Lucifer begins. "We already have a predetermined course of action. We'll review it and see if you'd like any changes done." I nod mutely, getting on with the meeting.

After two hours of examining and changing the plan, they decided that I would first push back humans a kilometer away from the a nether wart field. We do have limited supply of troops, and we are restricted mostly to the mobs spawnable, so we have to make the most of our defense.

* * *

 **TWO DAYS LATER, NORTHERN RURAL REGION, PROX REGION (SSE)**

According to the Department of Defense, today was the official start of the war. We were told that enemy forces would have to pass here in order to advance northwards. The BNT was south of this anyways. Most people wonder how a B snuck into BNT; it was simply how the humans wanted it to be called: Blessed Nether Territories. The Nether Government just sticks to calling it Nether Territories, but still uses BNT as its official acronym. Weird, right?

The first BNT attack was a horse flank. Armored men on armored horses (what we call AMAH) move in with bows. They open fire on us, but ghasts seem to be the better option for our counterattack. Ghasts also create large craters and lines of fire on the ground, making it harder for AMAH to pass.

Another flank took out some Zombie Pigmen to the left of me, so I fly over there to blast them back. This time, they came with more than just bows. The men at the front held iron doors as shields on one hand while they used their other for swords. The shield was much more effective defending from blazes and ghasts, and the ranged attacks of the bowmen from behind were effective for attacking.

Sending a few ghast fire charges causes a few horses to cause a chain reaction, ruining the phalanx. Now was my time to strike. I fire more barrages of the fire charge while also planting some lava in front of them. They not only jumped over that, but also absorbed the fireticks with fire resistance.

"Drats..." I mutter. The only other thing I could think of was a thicker river of lava. I place another one, this time flowing the opposite direction and stretching to six blocks long. "This oughtta help..."

Although it did slow them down, a communicator sent a message to all units engaged in battle, "Reinforcements inbound within thirty minute mark for Prox Region, as requested." Thirty minutes?! All by myself and a few blazes? They'd make it past the one thousand block length in no time! I swoop down with a sword and start swinging wildly at the AMAH below. This seemed to also hinder movements, and some even fell into the lava, but this was not helping.

But as I recover and swing back up into the air, I caught a glimpse of someone familiar. I look down at one of the men holding the shield and sword. I was right; it turned out that one of the men in the formation was Tess's boyfriend! Or I think it's her boyfriend. I don't know.

I look down to get a better look, and there he was, holding an iron shield and an iron sword. Three other formations were behind this one, heading for the same direction. "Requesting aerial reinforcenents, I repeat, I am requesting aerial backup!" I say to the communicator. I cast a blindness spell on the formations. All of them were in distress, all except for him, trying to get his horse free from the lava.

I widen the lava pool, seeing that the other formations were coming in quick. After firing a few more fireballs toward them, the communicator finally responds, "Reinforcements under current delay. We're having a logistics issue. Please stand by." I can't hold off these formations by myself! All of the ghasts and blazes that accompanied me have died already by the archers.

I look at all of the formations stuck in lava, their bows aimed right on me.

* * *

 **What will happen in the war? And why is Tess and her ostensible mate immune to Herobrine's spells?**

 **Thanks anyways!**

 **-DWalkthroughGuy**


	5. Chapter 5: Unprecedented Interrogation

I look at the phalanxes ahead of me, arrows stretched down as far as they could go. I'm not sure what to do but hold them back for now, waiting for thirty minutes. My mind is still stuck on the guy below. Who is he? What does he have to do with Tess? Why is he fighting in the war?

A nearby defense unit arrives at the scene. These weren't the reinforcements, but they were sufficient. Their posts were empty after all. Zombie pigmen, blazes, ghasts, wither skeletons, skeletons and magma cubes with soldiers inside flooded the area, taking the horses one by one. But the AMAH were just as strong, pushing against the wave in a persistent formation. All I could do was keep firing spells when I can and fire some fireballs their way.

Further southwards were large moving structures heading our way. What could that be?

Upon further inspection, I found that they were actually large-scale formations with dispensers out the sides. One cannon hung out the front while other machine gun dispensers were placed in the front and sides of the "tank".

"Uh, Mission, we have five tank structures heading our way. Strong iron door armor. 7x4x5 block dimensions," I describe to the communicator. The device didn't respond after a while, so I cast a particularly strong lightning bolt spell of slowness, inflicting all of the tanks. Not only did it halt them entirely, but it accidentally hit some of the Nether forces flanking another group of tanks on the right.

"Herobrine! Friendly fire will not be tolerated during warfare!" shouted the transmitter. How come they didn't respond to the message of tanks I sent them?

"Mission! We have five tank-"

"We know of the tanks Herobrine. They've been using that tactic far before this war. Now get going to the AMAH!" I look behind me and see that the Nether forces were losing the fight. I quickly spin and fire several fireballs to stop the horse formations. Unfortunately, they had already passed the lava barrier, but at least they still had hundreds of blocks left to go.

* * *

 **FIVE HOURS LATER, NORTHERN RURAL REGION, MONO REGION (ESE)  
** Despite my...best efforts...the enemy had a better formation pattern than our forces, and we had lost a thousand blocks worth of ground to the humans. The reinforcements didn't come until they were already well on their way towards the nether wart fields, so the failure was mostly because of the logistics error they encountered.

We've retreated farther up north from the Prox Region up here in the Mono. We aren't allowed to go home, because we have to be vigilant and ready for anything the enemy throws at us. Well, if we were so "ready and prepared" we wouldn't have lost all of the Prox Region, that's what.

I sit down on the creaky wool crate they use instead of a bed (the last barracks they built using beds was, obviously, a horrible disaster). Why was the guy fighting in this war? Was everyone drafted and forced to fight? Why was the BNT in such a need to expand in a violent manner? I don't even know his name, which already bothers me, but I guess I'll have to do with that.

Lying down for the Overworld Night, I sleep restlessly, not sure what awaits me soon.

* * *

 **THE FOLLOWING MORNING, NORTHERN RURAL REGION, MONO REGION (ESE)**

I'm back at the nether wart fields, trying my best to hold the humans back to prevent their advancement to the nearest town, which also happens to be our closest military base. It's one of the best things to put near enemy lines, I know.

AMAH advance on the soulsand, still moving considerably despite the ground the horses tread. Bows were fired at the wave I was in. Zombie pigmen formed a frontal wall with their golden swords while the blazes hovered right behind them, firing in between pigmen. The ghasts are trying to destroy the least amount of nether warts, which definitely hinders our explosion radii.

As the day continues, they manage to push past the nether wart fields and get near the town, where the military base and citizens had already departed to an evacuation site, safe from human territory. Unfortunately, that means that our reinforcements take longer to arrive and our artillery shots are too distant (they took the TNT cannon equipment with them), leaving us to fend for ourselves. It's a surprise that there are so many humans partaking in this war. It's a surprise I hadn't seen the guy-

A ghast blows up a tank formation, scattering most of its men around. One of the men I recognize crawls behind a nether brick house, while others simply stay standing or crawl elsewhere. I take care with everyone else with a diamond sword, which was enchanted with a medley of deadly enchantments. I look over at him.

"Please, Herobrine, I only wanted to get to the city like we were told...d-d-don't do this to me, I didn't mean to harm..." He continues to stare, his iron armor still on. "...you..." Slowly and dramatically, I make my way to him.

"What's your name?" I ask. Of all things I could've said to him, I asked for his name, surprising him.

"I'm...I'm Kyle..." he whispers. I draw out my diamond sword, ready to finally end this relatively quick ordeal. Raising it, he shuts his eyes tight, only waiting for his time.

Suddenly, multiple arrows pierce my side at the same time, causing me to fall back three blocks. "Incoming!" a zombie pigman roared, referring to the oncoming wave of AMAH in a large phalanx formation. I swiftly grab Kyle's leg and fly over to the middle of the city at an allyway, far from anyone.

"What were-" I shush him. "Why did you-"

"SHH!" I hiss, looking around to see if anyone was around. I look back at him. Although he lost his helmet during the sudden flight, he still looked just as stuffy and scared. "Look, I'll let you go if you answer these questions." He wasn't believing it. The dark lord of evil was holding him ransom, and he could actually pay it himself! For the first time during the war, I actually saw him smile.

"Okay!" he says enthusiastically.

"So, what is your relation with Tess?" I say as calmly as possible. His smile of excitement evened out to be a smile of gentleness.

"Uh, we're dati-"

"Herobrine?" a zombie pigman had walked in the ally. Probably for reconnaissance or whatever. Stupid pigmen! I grab Kyle's neck and shove him against the nether brick wall, immediately souring myself to show an expression of threat.

"What?!" I bellow, causing both Kyle and the zombie pigman to stop in horror.

"What are you doing-"

"None of your business!" I interrupt, taking Kyle and flying him back to the middle of a nether wart field. "From now on, none of this happened, you got that?!" I say. He quickly nods his head, just wishing that he wouldn't get caught with me.

I begin my journey back to the city, flanking AMAH rows from behind. Well, that was the answer I was afraid of...

* * *

 **Yeah, I know, mostly centered around the war and stuff, but more later I guess. This story may end on 20 chapters, when I mostly go for 30. If you guys feel like this needs to be a full-fledged story, just PM/review about it. I'll see what I can do.**

 **(I honestly don't feel this is picking up enough ground to be focused on as a full story. I still got Alex and Steve and Stuck with You to work on, so :\\)**

 **Thanks anyways!  
-DWalkthroughGuy**


	6. Chapter 6: Unprofessional Recon

I look up at the woolen bunk right above mine. It had never occurred to me that I would be sleeping at the same giant room with rotten pigs with nothing but loincloths and moss stains to wear. I wasn't sure if it was undignified or justified. The previous Overworld night, I had been informed of a new mission, and that was to go with a bunch of zombie pigmen and do some reconnaissance.

But it wasn't in the BNT.

We had been told to scout a village in the Overworld, within a taiga biome. All they told us to do was to tell the Department of Defense the specifics of the location, the firepower stored there as well as any nearby statistics important enough to need notification.

The group I was put in was only five zombie pigmen, and I wasn't even the captain. The captain did wear a golden helmet, so wearing an article of shiny armor automatically validates you into a high power of authority, I guess. Stupid pigmen...

* * *

 **TAIGA REGION, OVERWORLD  
** I look over at the captain, who gives us the signal to move forward. I move among the trees with two others, advancing close to a nearby military camp. They look rather concerned, with their golden swords at the ready. There wasn't much in the military base but supply chests and large arrays of furnaces for iron smelting. Some people that worked there were rushing all throughout the base, making sure that the tasks were fulfilled as quickly as possible.

Our mission was to simply scout the land. We weren't supposed to infiltrate it or attack anyone within, but they were hoping of getting quite a bit of information from the area.

My team's first encounter was the huge stable that took up most of the base. Rows and rows of horses lined the walls. The smell of hay and horse was everywhere. Nothing too valuable there.

We pass the top floor of the storage bunker, which just so happens to be the only one on the surface. All of the other floors were underground levels, ones that stretched deep underground. It was a pretty efficient strategy, considering that there was a lot of space to go around, not to mention that it was difficult to access through direct fighting.

I glance over to the right. The other team had barely split up with us. At least, not far enough to be camouflaged in the trees.

"To the left..." I whisper, but my entire squad ignores me.

"We keep moving forward..." the captain whispers, golden sword motioning towards their current path. "No exceptions..." Alright, fine Mr. Porkchop. We spot another complex that stretched for quite a while, but we didn't get too much intel from there either.

At least, not any military intel.

My team moves closer to a building near the TNT Unit, the place we were originally sent to. But something catches my ear.

"Promoted?" a guard said. "Like, to upper-echelon?" I can silently feel the other person nodding, without even having to check myself.

"I can't believe it either."

"Man, I wish I could get pulled out of the front lines like that." So being promoted eventually results in being pulled back? But the problem is, I'm not GOING to be sent back. I'll be right there, in the front lines, just like everyone else is. Our artillery system isn't exactly the best in the game, so I'm pretty surprised that a promotion meant doing less.

Before I could discard this information as just somebody else, one of the other guards say, "Isn't he the one with Tess as his sister?"

"Tess who?"

"You know, the Tess who always comes by with cake."

"She's got nice cake." They both, for some reason, begin to laugh.

One of my zombie-pigmen comrades nudge me in the shoulder, motioning me to keep on moving. Of course, he was confused on why I was trying to eavesdrop. "It is not military intelligence, is it not?" I roll my eyes (which wasn't really noticeable due to my lack of pupils) and shake my head.

"Let's keep moving..."

* * *

Later on we approach the warehouse where they stored their TNT. One of the zombie-pigman in my squad takes out a book and quill, recording the coordinates. The rest of my crew stand silently at watch, checking the balconies and other doors for any sign of another guard. It's quite a surprise seeing how little guards there were at the location, with it being a high-security secret base and all. Didn't they have protocol to follow?

The pigman with the notebook shuts it silently and gives us the signal to keep going. Wow. Was this considered a recon mission? Following a guy around with a notebook to write coordinates down? This barely classifies as military-grade!

We head on to another ominous looking building, presumably used for keeping records and documents. It wasn't really anything special or exciting, but protocol does tell us to leave no stone unturned, so we trekked on, staying as silent as possible. The hardest parts were when we go up staircases or corridors that don't have an alternate route, meaning we all go in at the same time. Hallways and stairs don't have much cover to hide in either, making getting away with being caught that much harder. I could use my invisibility or disguise coding, but I don't think the Department of Defense would be too happy.

One of the hallways we walk through was more of an office area than a secret document storage. Doors we passed had the signs "COPY MACHINE" or "SUPPLY ROOM" adjacent to the entrance. Who knows? They might just be secret codenames for clandestine bases or rooms filled with folders of coordinates and new technologies. Nevertheless, without knowing whether or not this is true, our bookkeeper writes down coordinates anyways, not even bothering to close it as we pass from room to room due to their proximity.

Finally, at the very end of the dead end hallway, there was a single room. Beside the stained glass was a sign with the two words "BREAK ROOM" on it. A break room? For a military facility? For something this professional and of such high grade, especially for a military base, it was strange to have a plain break room in the middle of it. The recorder tells us to hold for a minute as he writes down the coordinates for a freaking break room. Exciting military espionage action going on here.

I take a little peak through the tinted glass pane. There inside was a table visible from the entrance with the most beautiful cake inside. It almost looked a little too familiar. Two of the guards looked at me strangely, as if I just got hypnotized from within the room. 'Just...one check?' Despite professional protocol and procedure, I pressure myself into pulling the door. Now everyone was looking at me. Not in confusion, but in fear. The captain would personally beat the experience out of me if he saw me right me.

But I pressed on. I slowly give the door one final tap, then slink my way inside. The room of old paper and ink hit me with a powerful wave. There, in the middle of the table was that cake, wide available to anybody who pleases. I notice a slip of paper next to it.

"Help yourself! -Tess"

Oh. So...she...visits a military base like it's an office? How unprofessional IS this place?!

I look up from the note she leaves and realizes that she was standing right there, directly across from where I was standing. How did I not see her from outside? She stood there, absolutely frozen. Unfortunately for me, my pigmen had also slunk their heads inside (I left the door ajar). Tess's eyes looked back and forth between the rotting pig people and a renowned ghost who haunts the nightmares of many.

Well, this'll be interesting.

* * *

 **Ah, back with another chapter, my fellow readers.**

 **I understand how long these chapters take, and how little they have in them once they are released, and how much I promise that production will ramp up soon, and the fact that this is a run-on sentence, so I'll just give it to you straight.**

 **I don't plan to do this on an update schedule like I regularly do, or how I always rush to meet an imaginary deadline, usually rushing the story or making a bunch of grammar errors. So, I'll admit that I'll be taking it easier now. Sure, I'll still have that push to continue, but it won't be as rabid, and it won't result with really bad chapters that were just punched out the moment before the weekday begins.**

 **However, this does not mean I can't update things rapidly, like I did with Stick with Me, because trust me, stories like that will DEFINITELY come again. It's just a matter of when. **

**So, there you have it. If you follow my other stories, this message will pop up as well.**

 **Thanks for taking the time for reading my work, and if not thanks anyways!  
-DWalkthroughGuy**


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